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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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 Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 1:51 pm
With a grimace, the woman took the opportunity to glance around the thick and virtually impenetrable forests that surrounded her. In all her life she had never experienced such difficulties in reaching a place until now, had she been anywhere else she would have turned her back to the task and simply left however something inexplicable continued to occur within her - a feeling in which she simply could not place.
Gazing out through the venician mask in which she wore, the woman thought back to the comforts that she had left behind in order to answer the peculiar sensation deep within her heart. It wasn't that she could hear a voice but it was as though something tugged, coaxed and caressed her into approaching the forest and to continue on through the hidden pathways towards the deepest regions of the formidable wonder of nature...
Despite herself, she found that she began to shift uncomfortably and within moments she had adjusted the straps of her cloak in order to cool herself off - this place was more claustophobic than she would have imagined, especially when it was a forest!
Nevertheless; her thoughts now under her control and discipline, she began to move forward once more - her head bowed so as to ensure that the foliage battered her hat as opposed to her beloved mask...
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:04 pm
"Wounded beast?" Roger whispered, looking at the destruction wrought on the heavy underbrush, the snapped twigs, the trampled brush, the heavy tracks...
The man stopped, listening carefully, knowing he would never see whatever trouble lurked in the forest... a wounded beast would cut through the forest like this, or a person, he realized.
He looked down at the trampled brush once more, the footsteps seemed too small. It had to be a humanoid, of sorts...
The man let out a sigh of releif, believing himself safe on this little stroll. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach though. He had always believed this to be his secret place, his place where he could commune with nature. It seemed, wrong, that someone else should be there. He almost wished it was a dangerous and wounded beast...
Slowly, and carefully, he picked his way through the brush, following the trail. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to talk to this person, and get them not to come back here, or at least disguise their presense a little better.
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:10 pm
She never was one for being particularly careful to mask her tracks, especially when she sincerely doubted that anyone would be close by her - the forest was too well hidden and undisturbed (with the exception of her) to have any other humanoids wandering around. On days when she knew stealth was required she could remain otherwise undetectable but today was simply not one of those days.
Nevertheless, as she continued on her way she gave a brief grimace - that familiar sensation began to tickle across the back of her neck and with a slight growl beneath her mask she paused mid-stride and very carefully leapt up into the trees. Not even a leaf fell as she swung upwards, her emerald clothes camoflauging her superbly amongst the foliage.
Nay - she would not be found, that sensation was all too familiar and had spelt disaster when she ignored it; for now she would not progress and instead she would wait for the feeling to pass or for the thread to reveal itself...
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:17 pm
Roger continued stalking down the trail, carefullly following the tracks, not like it was too hard. It look like someone had just tucked their head down, and pushed through the underbrush, rather than picking through it carefully.
He scowled slightly, feeling a bit strange. It wasn't like he owned anything here, or that he had the money, power, or authority to dictate anything here. But... it wounded him...
He shook his head slowly, muttering to himself something about hoodlums and poachers, as he witnessed the trail just vanish...
"What?" he whispered, standing up, scratching the back of his neck. His eyes darted left and right, his heart racing. Whoever was here, must hear it, he thought. He started breathing heavily, spinning around, looking for whoever made the tracks.
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:22 pm
That was it? Beneath the Venician mask the woman couldn't help but raise a brow in slight disappointment - the tingling upon her neck had vanished now and with a shake of her head she balanced her weight against the broad branch above him and continued to watch him flounder; well, she couldn't hide up here forever and a being who had the nerve to stalk her was not someone she was going to release from her grasp without suitable punishment.
With a cold chuckle that echoed within the silent forests, the peculiar woman leapt from the tree branch, grasping one slightly lower as she cushioned her fall. This of course cause her to swing up into the air once more and with a slight somersault within the air she descended to the ground with a very quite pat of leather boots.
For a long while, her head remained bowed as her limbs adjusted to the impact however eventually she did rise to her feet and turn around very slowly, the pumed hat flashing into view as the penetrating rays of light impacting it and then the white, ornate venician mask - she almost appeared inhuman!
"I consider it an insult when someone attempts to sneak up on me." She murmured through the mask.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:27 pm
Roger jumped and turned towards the voice, his hand grabbing at his heart as it skipped a beat, his breath coming in shallow. He stumbled backwards, tripping over a fallen branch, and falling hard on his a**.
"What... what... what... what do you want with me?" he asked, his voice trembling, as he scooted a few more inches away from this strange person. He had seen worse, but that didn't mean he didn't know better than believe that someone's looks, determined just what they had to kill you with...
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:34 pm
"What do I want with you?" The woman repeated, shaking her masked head in amusement before she began to stalk towards him. Her footsteps were significantly lighter than before and the remaining undergrowth simply bounced back up from beneath her feet as opposed to when they had been crushed previously.
Beneath her mask, her emerald eyes could be seen narrowing dangerously and one could only imagine the expression beneath however, eventually she did come to a halt a few feet away from the man and simply shook her head once more as though his own question was as obvious as 'What colour is the sky?' - for a while, she remained silent as if deliberately drawing upon the tension and then at last the woman spoke once more in the same tone as before.
"I want you to tell me exactly what you thought you were doing when you trailed after me." She replied, squaring her shoulders to make the shadows of the forest cast strange shapes across her mask, the smile upon it warping into an evil smirk in the process - she seemed skill in the art of illusion when it came to lighting...
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:38 pm
The man flinched as she approached and spoke, and once again as the shadows played against her mask, "I... I... I... I... well... I... I... um..." he stammered, trying to force his breathing to return to normal, and his heart to calm down. It seemed an impossible task to him however, and he remained frozen in his spot, "I... I usually walk this forest... I never saw anyone... anything here before... I... um... was... um... curious... and... um... wanted to ask... if you could... um... leave..."
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:42 pm
"Leave." She stated matter-of-factly as though what he had requested was absurd; it was absurd and when did he have the pwoer to remove her from a forest that was not even his? She couldn't help but begin to laugh at the apparent stupidity of his request before shaking her masked head once more and giving a snort of absolute disgust - she wasn't angry, merely bemused at his words.
Perhaps, like her - he could feel the full of something in the very centre of the forest and was attempting to deny her the honour of discovering what it was that caused such a pull in which case she would tell him where his request would lead him as she was not afraid to use the rapiers hidden below her cloak.
Instead of replying though, she simply glanced in the direction of the pull once more and walked around him; moving on in a similar fashion as before - head bowed to the ground as the branches collided with the plummed hat. She would not be denied the knowledge of what had brought her here, nothing had the right to plague her and remain hidden from her forever.
"Your name is not marked within this forest and therefore it is free ground." She called back at last as she continued to walk, "Therefore I will tread my paths as I see fit - you have no right to question, nor to forbade me."
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:46 pm
The man sigh, "Yes ma'am, I know that... it's just..." he muttered, taking a moment, his eyes looking up and to his left as he gathered his thoughts. Even now he could still feel that little pull on his heart, the one that he had always come out here to feel, even with the strange woman near him. It was, well, highly unexpected... "This place is special to me, you know? I don't wanna see it ruined..."
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 2:56 pm
"I doubt I will ruin it." The voice replied further on down, she hadn't gone muchfurther as she was taking the opportunity to survey the area much more than before - she had already been surprised by the apparent existance of another human in the area and would not be caught out again although another feeling now plagued her as well, when she came close to him she could sense something that seemed to resemble a kindred spirit.
Shaking the feeling off however, she eventually disappeared completely into the undergrowth and moved along the 'pathway' mapped out by the hands that beckoned her towards the epi-centre of the forest itself; she knew not where it led but she understood the importance of reaching the place and to the identity of the beckoning energies within her heart.
It was with that in mind that her hands moved involuntarily to the cards within her pocket and she shook her head, she felt the same way she did when she used these cards only she was overwhelmed by a deep yearning when it came to this energy as opposed to the burning sensation within her hands when she used the cards.
...What was this and who was he?
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 3:01 pm
As the woman left, the man seemed strange. his body fell limp to the ground, his head hitting quite hard. For a moment, he just lay there, breathing slowly, calmly, before his eyes opened again.
He pushed himself up onto his feet, shaking his head and standing on uncertain legs. The trampled path, the woman, the heart. It came rushing back to him. Where did the woman go?
No sign, not a track, not a sound, not a sight of her. He sighed once again, shaking his head. This place seemed, defiled in his mind. The woman had somehow managed to ruin the moment of pristine calm for him.
Shaking his head once more, feeling an oncoming headache, he started down the path, continuing past where the trampling ended, stepping carefully, trying not to ruin the underbrush, as he sought that moment of perfection once more.
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 3:11 pm
Her pace was steady and unhindered by the bushes - even the collisions of the branches against her plumed hat had become somewhat muffled and after a few moments she became satisfied that she was making suitable time on her excursion - she was never one to be lazy unless it came to an inn, alcohol and a suitable amount of food to keep her occupied and comfortable for a time.
Still, as she continued onwards that strange sensation upon the back of her neck appeared again and with a sigh of exhasberation she raised her eyes heavenwards and calmly turned round - well if he was going to stalk her he might as well just walk beside her; it would make things easier for the both of them and would mean that she could keep and eye on him at the same time.
"What do you want?" She snapped once more.
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 3:16 pm
Roger flinched again, causing his head to bump into a tree branch, quite painfully. His sight was merely a red blossom of pain, and he had trouble making out the masked figure before him though the haze.
He was seething, and clutching his head, trying to get the pounding pain under control. It really didn't help his coming headache, not a single bit...
After a moment, the pain died away enough for him to respond, "I.. I was just following... um... not you... but... something..." he muttered, unsure how to explain that feeling, to someone who had most likely never felt it before.
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Epine de Rose Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 3:21 pm
To say the least she was doubtful and after a few moments she released another snort of annoyance and turned her back to him; well if he wasn't going to elaborate then she was going to continue moving on and with that thought very prominent within her mind she pushed the foliage away from her and lowered her head to provide a butting ram against the onslaught of branches.
She had very little to say to him after what he had attempt to do and instead she maintained her focus on the goal in question - that of the peculiar coaxing of the energies that seemed to reside in the epicentre of the forest; in fact the pull was become so excessive that she began to murmur to herself - glancing around here and there...
"Come on, come on...where are you...?"
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